WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- Add January 21, 2012 as another chapter in what has become one of the best rivalries in the region. Gonzaga held off a ferocious DeMatha comeback to win 76-74 in front of nearly 3,500 spectators at American University.
Gonzaga forward Kris Jenkins was without a doubt the best player on the court. He stroked all six of his three-point attempts and finished with 27 points -- numbers that came with Jenkins sitting out nearly the entire second quarter because of two early fouls. His instinctive decisions come so quickly that defenses remain guessing whether he's going to drive or pop his improved jump shot.
Gonzaga controlled the first three and a half quarters of the game by preying on DeMatha's sloppy defense. On three separate occasions, Jordan Abdur-Ra'oof broke entirely free on the Stags full court press and slammed home some momentum inspired dunks. The Eagles led by 18 in the third quarter and 68-56 with just under four minutes remaining.
There is a rule many DC area sports fans know: never count out a DeMatha team until the final whistle. Behind a lineup filled with four Stag guards, DeMatha began to force turnovers, grab scrappy offensive rebounds and -- the main thing -- get stops. James Robinson finished with a season-high 25 points and scored 13 of those in the fourth.
DeMatha head coach Mike Jones directed his team to begin fouling the Eagles with well over a minute remaining in the game, and the strategy was working thanks to some big Eagle free throw misses.
With nine seconds left and the game tied at 74 apiece, Jordan Abdur-Ra'oof's number was called again. The high-flying sophomore went up for a monster slam but was met in the air by DeMatha senior Jerami Grant, forcing two free throws. Abdur-Ra'off sank both free throws and a failed DeMatha attempt at the buzzer sent the Eagles student section sprinting to the court for the second time in six days.
Observations
1) Gonzaga won the game in the second quarter
If you had told me a week ago that the Eagles would upset DeMatha with an injured Nate Britt and Kris Jenkins out for almost a full quarter because of foul trouble, I would have called you delusional. The unsung heroes of Gonzaga deserve props for holding on to that first quarter lead. Specifically, junior guard Charles Glover and senior center Will Rassman.
Glover delivered on two gigantic three-pointers in the second and kept the pace up-tempo while controlling the ball for much of the quarter. He finished with a season-high 16 points. Rassman may have gotten dunked on by DeMatha standout big man Beejay Anya, but he clearly outplayed Anya for the entirety of the game. Rassman finished with 13 points as opposed to Anya's six. Rassman's range on long rebounds and soft touch have come a long way since last season.
2) DeMatha needs James Robinson to become more of a scoring point guard
If the game plan of Robinson taking over in the paint was instituted after halftime instead of the fourth quarter, DeMatha probably leaves Bender Arena with a solid comeback victory. Robinson is one of the best distributors in the DMV, but he's also the strongest point guard pound-for-pound. He hit nine of his ten free throws too. He's going to be an excellent point guard at Pittsburgh, but until then, I'd make him my go to scorer.
Back to dc.highschoolsports.net